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Secreted Phospholipases A2 with β-Neurotoxic Activity

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Snake Venoms

Part of the book series: Toxinology ((TOXI))

Abstract

Natural toxins are a threat to health but have also turned out to be very useful. Among the most illustrative examples are the deadly botulinum toxins that are used today in numerous therapeutic applications. The essential condition for a toxin to be used as a medicament or a research tool is to understand about how it interferes with the victim’s physiology. In this chapter, a group of snake venom toxins is described, the β-neurotoxins, whose mechanism of action at the molecular level is still not completely understood, leaving their medical potential yet to be exploited. As explained, these molecules have evolved by a process of accelerated evolution from harmless digestive enzymes, the secreted phospholipases A2, to potent toxins that block synaptic signaling in vertebrate skeletal muscles. To advance the insight into the molecular basis of action of β-neurotoxins, the results of the most recent investigations have been examined critically. A draft picture of how β-neurotoxins poison the nerve terminal is presented. Important details, including the identity of β-neurotoxicity-linked receptors, pathways by which β-neurotoxins cross plasma and mitochondrial membranes, and intracellular regulation of their enzymatic activity, are however still unknown. Unraveling these issues should provide considerable support for clarifying the functions and dysfunctions of mammalian secreted phospholipases A2 in the nervous system.

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. Department of Molecular and Biomedical Sciences, Jožef Stefan Institute, Jamova 39, 1000, Ljubljana, Slovenia

    Dušan Kordiš & Igor Križaj

  2. Department of Chemistry and Biochemistry, Faculty of Chemistry and Chemical Technology, University of Ljubljana, Aškerčeva 5, SI-1000, Ljubljana, Slovenia

    Igor Križaj

  3. Centre of Excellence for Integrated Approaches in Chemistry and Biology of Proteins, Jamova 39, SI-1000, Ljubljana, Slovenia

    Igor Križaj

Authors
  1. Dušan Kordiš
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  2. Igor Križaj
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Corresponding authors

Correspondence to Dušan Kordiš or Igor Križaj .

Editor information

Editors and Affiliations

  1. Biomedical Research Institute National Institute of Advanced Industria, Tsukuba, Ibaraki, Japan

    Hidetoshi Inagaki

  2. University of Hawaii Cancer Center, Honolulu, Hawaii, USA

    Carl-Wilhelm Vogel

  3. Department of Molecular Biology and Biot, Tezpur University, Tezpur, Assam, India

    Ashis K. Mukherjee

  4. Egyptian Society of Natural Toxins and Z, Faculty of Science Suez Canal University, Ismailia, Egypt

    Tarek R. Rahmy

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Kordiš, D., Križaj, I. (2017). Secreted Phospholipases A2 with β-Neurotoxic Activity. In: Inagaki, H., Vogel, CW., Mukherjee, A., Rahmy, T. (eds) Snake Venoms. Toxinology. Springer, Dordrecht. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-94-007-6410-1_27

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